State Sen. Ryan Aument, R-Lititz, is pictured during a Senate in November.

Employees of app-based platforms like Uber, Instacart, DoorDash and Lyft could receive workplace injury insurance under a proposal introduced by state Sen. Ryan Aument, R-Lititz.

Aument recently introduced Senate Bill 967. If it is enacted into law, the legislation will open workplace injury insurance to more than 100,000 Pennsylvania residents.

“Even though app-based rideshare and delivery workers enjoy the freedom of setting their own schedule and working for multiple apps at the same time, they miss out on well-deserved protections, such as, workplace injury insurance,” Aument wrote in his co-sponsorship memorandum. “Those app-based workers who are the most active on these platforms may also not have access to traditional benefits. Existing law dictates that app-based platforms operating in Pennsylvania must choose between providing app-based workers either the independence and flexibility they rely on or benefits they deserve. Approximately 67% of PA app-based workers say they want to remain independent, but as more Pennsylvanians take on gig work to help make ends meet, these platforms should have

the ability to build a benefits system that puts these individuals and their families first.”

Aument wants to establish a portable benefits framework for app-based workers to make benefits available to workers that include income replacement in case of injury as well as health and wellness benefits. He also wants to have a separate occupational accident insurance requirement for network companies to purchase for app-based workers who provide services through their network to cover medical expenses and lost income resulting from injuries suffered while an app-based worker is engaged on the network company’s online-enabled application or platform. The requirement to purchase occupational accident insurance may be satisfied through the purchase of blanket accident and sickness insurance.

“We can do better than the false choice of benefits versus independence,” Aument wrote. “This bill will deliver both for the Pennsylvanians who desire to work in the gig economy.”

The city of Seattle earlier this year signed legislation into law entitling the city’s gig workers to paid sick leave and safe time under legislation the Associated Press said is the first in the nation. Under the law, workers will accrue one day of paid sick or safe time for every 30 days they make a work-related stop in Seattle. They would be paid their average daily compensation for each calendar day they worked in Seattle over the previous 12 months.

Drivers for transportation companies such as Uber and Lyft already earn paid sick and safe time through a state law signed by Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee last year.

According to the AP, Instacart officials suggested the measure was “misguided.”

“Instacart is willing to work with any policymaker that prioritizes the health and safety of shoppers who choose to earn income through our platform,” company officials said in a statement. “However, at a time of high inflation and tightening household budgets, it is critical that policymakers also take into account the rising financial burden their misguided policy proposals could have on their constituents.”

Nationally, President Joe Biden’s administration has proposed new standards that could make it more difficult to classify millions of workers as independent contractors and deny them minimum wage and benefits.

“I’ve heard from workers on these apps for years that … being forced to work through injuries and sickness was always a huge challenge,” Joel Shapiro, co-founder of the Seattle-based grocery-delivery app Dumpling, told the council. “All workers should have the ability to take sick time when needed, no matter what kind of work they do.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.